“Houston, I think I have a problem”.
“Copy Luca, what seems to be the issue?”
“I’m feeling water building up inside my helmet, it’s coming over the back of my head”.
————–
Luca Parmitano was 44 minutes into a planned six-hour spacewalk to route new cables on the exterior of the International Space Station ready for a new Russian research module. It was his second EVA of the mission, and he was already done with the first item on his task list.
But the feeling of water on the back of his head felt wrong. It was normal to sweat when they were working in their suits; the sheer physicality of manoeuvring took its toll. But this was different. He could see drops appearing on the inside of his helmet and he sensed a distinct wet patch on his communication cap.
“Is it coming from your water pouch, Luca?” came the response over the radio.
This had been his first thought. The built-in pouch in the suit provided around a litre of water that he could drink from during the spacewalk.
“I don’t think so, no” he responded. He reached out with his tongue towards the droplets in front of him. He grimaced as he tasted them. “They taste metallic”.
“Okay, we’re going to run diagnostics on the suit. We’ll come back to you shortly” the voice on the radio confirmed. “Let us know if it gets worse”.
Luca took a moment to reorient himself and ran through his remaining tasks in his head, trying to focus on the work he needed to complete rather than the strange sensation he was feeling.
————–
Six minutes later, Luca keyed his mike again.
“Houston, it seems to be getting worse. The water keeps increasing. It’s covering the top of my head and my ears now” he said, with a slightly more strained voice than before.
There’s no upside-down in space. But in a zero-gravity environment water clusters together into what can only be described as a bubble, and this was what Luca could feel at the top of his helmet.
“Luca, we think you should terminate the EVA and head back to the airlock” came the reply. “We’ll alert the rest of the crew to be ready for decompression”.
“Roger, Houston.” said Luca. Although he didn’t want to stop the work he was doing, he also knew that it wasn’t getting better. And being away from the main module wasn’t the best place to be. “I’ll head back now”, he confirmed.
Taking a grip on the cable that was tethering him to the ISS, Luca twisted and turned over, ready to start the journey back to the primary airlock.
“Damnit” he suddenly said out loud. As he had turned, the water bubble had moved as well, partially covering his eyes and the tops of his ears and impacting his ability to see clearly. Mentally, he thanked himself that that he had remained hold of the tether, but he knew that the situation had become more complicated.
“Everything okay, Luca?” came a worried voice over the radio.
Luca waited a beat to settle himself before he replied. “Yes, I think so. Heading back now”. He started pulling himself along the cord, as if he was involved in a tug of war with the space station.
It was hard work, and the water in front of his face kept on slowly increasing in size, moving further down his face. He started breathing heavily, which caused mist on the inside of his helmet and the airlock door became a shape rather than a clear picture.
He looked towards the stars as he pulled himself along. The water in front of his face made him feel like he was underwater and reminded him of the time he spent diving with friends the previous summer. “Not the clear waters of the Mediterranean bed this time though” he said to himself. “More like an ocean of stars”.
It took five more minutes of exertion to reach the airlock. Luca was panting heavily inside his helmet, and the water now completely covered his eyes. He was grateful that, unlike his younger brother, he was able to keep his eyelids open when underwater.
He dragged himself into the airlock and sat upright as the crew inside shut the door remotely. He inhaled deeply trying to focus on calming his heartrate down. The decompression process would take fifteen minutes and there was no way to speed it up.
Luca tried to relax and focus on the wall in front of him. It wobbled as his head moved and the water bubble stirred. Is this what it must be like being a goldfish? Well, if he was a goldfish, he could only remember seven seconds at a time. Perhaps he should count to seven.
He thought back to his training at NASA. They’d had a Navy SEAL come in and talk to them about how they would reduce stress using a box-breathing technique. Inhale for 4 seconds. Hold for 4 seconds. Exhale for 4 seconds. Hold empty for 4 seconds. Repeat.
The water was now over his nose, and he was only able to breathe through his mouth, but it gave him a focus to concentrate on and helped to keep his panic under control.
A voice over the radio interrupted his thoughts. “Hang on in there Luca, the team are waiting for you on the other side of the airlock. We just need to complete the decompression.” He nodded to himself in reply. He knew the drill.
————–
Eight minutes had elapsed. The pressure monitor on the wall was showing that the airlock was already at 50%. He just needed to keep his focus for seven more. Seven, there we go again, the goldfish number.
NO, focus Luca, come on. Breathe. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Hold empty. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Hold empty. 4×4. Breathe. Four minutes.
He stared at the monitor. Every small change in pressure seemed to take forever. 86%. 87%. 88%.
The water bubble kept increasing in size. It was down to his top lip now. He wondered how he could breathe if the water slipped inside his mouth. The panic rose again, his heartrate increasing. Would he drown here? In space? How could that even happen?
96%. He was close. He moved his eyes up to the window on internal airlock door and saw shapes gesturing to him. The rest of the crew. They must be as impatient as he was. 98%. 99%. 100%.
As soon as the pressure gauge went green the handle on the door started to move. Slowly at first, then faster, and then the door started to open into the main module. He heard voices. “Luca! It’s okay, we’re here! Hang on!”
He half-fell sideways through the doorway and as he did so the water bubble moved in front of his mouth. He closed his mouth and held his breath, conscious that if he opened it, it would flood in and drown him.
The module crew worked efficiently, pulling him through the door, then sitting him upright and unlocking his helmet. In seconds, it was off and the water flew out, separating into multiple pieces as it hit the zero-gravity inside the module.
Lucas gasped loudly as he was finally able to breathe. It was like being assaulted by a fresh wind at the beach even though he knew the air in the module was endlessly recycled. He inhaled and exhaled rapidly, trying to get air into his lungs, whilst one of the crew helped him by wiping his face clear of any remaining water.
“You okay Luca?” he heard.
Wearily his shoulders sagged as the tension he’d been holding in finally let itself out, and he nodded weakly. His ordeal had clearly taken more out of him that he thought.
He sank backwards into his seat and looked towards the nearest viewport. He could see stars. An ocean of stars against the pitch-black backdrop of space. Bright sparkling lights – more than the eye could count. Millions and millions of suns, surrounded by planets and full of the promise of life.
Then he looked back inside. He’d had enough of water for one day. Maybe he would stay in the dry surroundings of the ISS for a while.